[E3] Preview: The Walking Dead Episode 2

At our appointment with TellTale Games, we caught 20 minutes of the upcoming The Walking Dead Episode 2. We were treated to the first part of the game which takes place three months after A New Day. Lee and the other survivors are still at the motel except there’s a new character that has provided the majority of food for the entire group. However, at the beginning we learn that food is scarce and friendliness is running thin.

A New Day dealt with the zombie outbreak first appearing as a threat. Episode 2, however, will shine light on the complete collapse of humanity. The characters are losing their minds, the small rations of food and animosity has driven them to it. So with this we are going to see more of a “descent into madness” approach.

The demo starts with Lee and the new character, Mark, hunting for food. They hear a scream and rush over to find a teacher with two teenagers. The teacher is stuck in a bear trap. There’s calamity and indecision until finally a horde of zombies show up. At this point the trademark choice system from the first game is shown incredibly well. You can either save the teacher, fail to save the teacher (it’s a time sensitive choice), or choose to run away. These are all difficult to do and I won’t spoil much, but just know that the choice our presenter went with was horrific. These choices don’t only depict who you bring back to the motel with you but also how the others will perceive you later on.

Once back at the camp we see all the familiar faces that we were left off with at the end of A New Day. It becomes immediately clear how divided the group has become. Lily thinks she’s the leader of them all while Kenny is considering leaving all together. Eventually an argument escalated into Lee having to be the one to distribute food rations to the group.

Problem is, there’s only three pieces to go around. Who you choose to feed affects how the entire group feels about you. Our presenter helped Duck, so Kenny’s family gained more love for you. The rest of the group took notice of this and also when he helped Clementine. The final piece brought up the option to either eat it yourself, or give it to someone. Choosing someone helps your relationship with them and keeps them strong, however it would leave you weak and maybe not strong enough to survive or protect Clementine.

For the playthrough the presenter decided to give the final piece to Mark because he made a comment about how weak he was to help build up a wall around the motel. Shit hit the fan at that point. Everyone who wasn’t helped or didn’t have someone affiliated to them helped was pissed off. But regardless, the day went on.

There came a point when Lee’s ax (also his weapon) was needed to help build the wall. Larry, who everyone should have trust issues with, was asking for it rudely. Mark could also take it, but he’s weak from not having a lot of food. So despite the possibility of being chopped up, Larry was chosen. This turned out to be a good decision, considering what happens after. I won’t spoil it, but it’s true that considering to feed yourself is plausible.

Episode 2 looks to be right on track in keeping up with all the good that came from A New Day. The choices seem to be even more fleshed out, if that was even possible. There seem to be a lot of surprises and the final scene of our demo gave way to that. It’s looking to be as great as the first or even better.